


Barriers to Reality

by Rosage



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Fluff, Other, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-23 19:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18708046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosage/pseuds/Rosage
Summary: Asra gives Julian a magic lesson.





	Barriers to Reality

**Author's Note:**

> The referenced Carrow is Fayery's apprentice.

Sometimes, Julian can't tell if Asra is the laziest or most hardworking person he knows. They're both lying around at the shop, reading a book on tinctures Asra's parents lent them, when Asra suggests tea. Rather than go stand by the stove, he reaches for the kettle and closes his eyes. Within seconds it goes from empty to full to boiling.

Julian tries to smooth a crease in the page he wasn't supposed to dog ear. It's not the first time he's seen Asra do this, but it's the first time he builds up the nerve to ask about it. "Neat trick. I don't suppose you could, uh, show me how to do that?"

"Sure, if you seriously want to learn." Asra waves a hand over the kettle, and the steam abates.

"Right now?"

"Were you hoping I'd put it off indefinitely?"

With growing trepidation, Julian closes the book. "No, I just assumed we would need more, er, preparation."

"It's not a complicated spell. Though I seriously messed up my first try at it."

"You? Mess up magic? That's a surprise, darling."

"Magic children are still children." Asra rubs the back of his neck. "Anyway, something simple like this is a good place to start. Just know that you don't need to shake it or talk to it."

Trying to imagine a tiny Asra, a dust bunny without all the answers, distracts Julian while they clear clothes and art supplies off the floor. They settle cross-legged with the kettle between them. When Asra places Julian's hands around it, it's cold to the touch.

"Ignore the kettle, it's not a real barrier," Asra says with a voice like he's directing a trance. "Picture the water. It's smooth right now, but you can make it boil."

Julian tries, but all he can think is, _No, I can't_.

"Focus on your hands. Think about heat flowing through them, into the kettle."

Concentrated effort only produces sweaty palms. Asra tries other phrases, which Julian almost bursts a blood vessel trying to will into reality. Nothing works.

Julian lets go of the kettle to wipe his palms. "I can think at this thing all day, but I can think at a lot of things all day, and nothing's ever come of it."

"Let’s take a minute. Magic is harder if you fight it. You need a clear head."

"No wonder I've never managed."

"Have you ever tried before? Without a pact, I mean."

"Er, well." The heat Julian's been failing to summon rushes to his face. "You leave things around the shop sometimes, so I try rubbing crystal balls and whatnot like you do, you know, just in case. It's, ah, never worked."

That seems to amuse Asra, as Julian knew it would. His flush worsens, but Asra's tone isn't teasing. "If this is something you really want, we can figure it out. Anyone can do magic."

"Anyone except me, apparently. You said that spell was easy. Child's play, was it?"

"I mean, I'm a magician. I'm used to it. Even when I taught Carrow, it was stuff he already knew, just locked away." Asra stands to pace, a bad habit he got from Julian. Julian would be pacing, too, if they wouldn't run into each other. "Okay, so maybe a thought-based spell wasn’t the way to go. For a beginner with such an active mind, something physical might work better."

"I'll try anything physical you want, dear," Julian says. Asra swats him playfully. "But you're probably right. As always. Don't you have magic with, with books and diagrams?"

Asra's teasing returns. "Those ridiculous tomes, I believe you've called them?"

"Er, they're not ridiculous. At least, not all of them."

Asra sorts through his still-vaguely-ridiculous tomes before plopping back down with a couple of the slimmer ones. While he flips through them, Julian takes his turn pacing. "I don't know where to start," Asra admits. "With Carrow, I just started with his old favorite spells. I don't suppose you have one of those?"

Julian holds back a snide remark as he looks down at Asra. His favorite spells are those that flow from Asra's beautiful mind to his fingertips, that brighten the world without him breaking a sweat. It's hard to believe Julian ever dismissed it as creepy.

And yet. Even now, there are things that raise goosebumps on his flesh, that seem to hide around the corner when he's trying to sleep. He’s tried so hard to learn, to understand, to meet Asra halfway. He's not sure how else to get over it, other than to become a magician himself, or at least learn to boil water.

"Not exactly," Julian says.

"Well, why did you want to start with tea?"

"It seemed useful. Besides, I, uh. Wanted to make you tea in the morning without waking you by talking to that salamander. You're such a light sleeper, and you wake up looking so haunted sometimes, I just thought—I thought it'd be nice."

For a moment, Asra looks so startled Julian almost apologizes. Then a pleased, if bashful, smile overtakes his features. "That would be nice." He pats the ground next to him, and Julian immediately sinks to join him. "I can show you some basic magic circles, but would you try the kettle one more time? I have an idea."

Even if it seems pointless, he agrees. He'd do far more for Asra.

"I was telling you how I think about things, before," Asra continues. "But magic is as much about motivation as anything. Your own words and thoughts are more powerful than ones somebody hands you."

Though it's dubious that Julian's thoughts could work better than Asra's, he lets Asra guide his hands again. "Wait, keep your hands there," Julian says as Asra leans back. "I mean, um, pretty please?"

"You can do this without my magic, Ilya," Asra says, but he folds his fingers over Julian's knuckles. "Let’s see, how can I guide you without influencing your thoughts? Just try to think about the end result you want."

Asra's touch roots Julian, providing the warmth he's supposed to be creating. He can never tell if the tingles Asra leaves on his skin are magic or base feeling, but they're less intense now, like Asra is withholding something. Trying to prove Julian can supply this himself.

Only that doesn't matter, because this is for _Asra_ , so that's where Julian starts. He imagines the tea already fills Asra's favorite cup, which he cradles while he takes a sip; he imagines the muscles relaxing in Asra's face, his eyelids closing while his pursed lips exhale into the steam. 

When Julian opens his eyes, the steam is still there, wafting in front of Asra's stunned face. "You did it."

"I did it," Julian repeats, jaw slack. He splits into a grin. "I did it!"

He lets go of the kettle to grasp Asra's hands, pumping them while they both laugh. If it’s for Asra, he really _can_ do anything, even change the laws of reality.

"That's great, Ilya. What were you thinking about?"

Too pleased to be embarrassed, Julian grabs a container of tea leaves. "Let me show you."


End file.
